Hey, I have a N.W.T.F 3in. 12ga pump. Its a very nice gun. I shoot quail and turkey with it. Well, I shoot anything I can thats legal.
My favorite load is a #4 shot for most of my shooting. I have been thinking about going hog hunting and Im not really sure what shot to use. I think 00buckshot will work just fine. Im going to the gun show tomorrow in florida and im thinking about buying a self defence shotgun. I like the Mossberg 500 and I think 00buck will do fine for that.

Well, if you have any thing to say about this thread or lets hear about what kind of shotguns members have.

I have 4 12 Gauges, a Remington 870 with a 26" bbl, A mossberg 500 turkey with a 24" ported bbl, a Mossberg 590 with heat shield and 20" bbl, and a Chinese copy of the Ithaca 37 with an 18.5" bbl. of these the 500 Turkey mossberg is my favorite.

I would not buy the Mossberg 500, that's if you are using it for defence, as the 590 is stronger than the 500 & that the 590 has a 10 year warrantee. I have had the mossberg 500, it would be great for my woman, as it's a light shotgun.

If you ever buy a self defence shotgun, always buy one that has a choke tube, you must have a range of 35 yards. With the open bore shotguns you clearly do not, yes the balls travel this distance but if the balls are not close together you will most likely miss your target. You only have a range with open bore shotguns, of 15 yards.

04 buckshot: penetrates, erraticaly, 6 to 10" if lucky

00 buckshot: penetrates 13"

000 buckshot: penetrates 15"

Mossberg has self defence shotguns with choke tubs, in the future all police will have choke tubs, or other ways to get the buckshot tight.

If you already own a Mossberg & do not have a choke tube, then you can add one, it increases your barrel length by 2.5 inches or if the barrel is thick enough the local gunsmith can tread one into your barrel, my 590 does not have a thick enough barrel, so I have the screw in, to the end of my barrel.

00 buckshot is good for defence, I use now because of my experience 000 buckshot, as there is a clear difference in performance & stopping power.

Hi Bill
yes I do agree that 35 yards is a long hallway, question to you, can you gurantee that you will be defending yourself or your family in your hallway?.

Anyway shooting a shotgun within a hallway, without a choke tube, that is tight balls to 35 yards, is mad, think about where all the balls are going, can you gurantee yourself that you are not shooting your son in the other room, with the bullets going everywhere.

This is one reason why the police are changing there shotguns, to a more safer shotgun, with choke tubs.

I have 3 shotguns, 2 with added choke tubes, 1 with a spreader tube at the end.

What I would say to anyone, go try your shotgun, see what the spread of balls are at say 15 yards, I think you would be shocked.

3 Ithaca model 37'sNew 12 Ga.,49 year old 16 ga.,25 year old Sid Bell 20 ga.,1 Mossberg 500,20 ga.,NEF 20 ga.Use Model 37 for home defence loaded with 4 shot.In a house,drywall doesn't stop most buckshot.If family members are sleeping and you go thru a wall,they could be killed.1 ounce of 4 lead shot will kill a man if he is hit with in the limits of most houses that the average family lives in,Sorry I don't have a bowling alley in the basement!Seems to me seal teams in Vietnam used #3 buckshot"this was after a big goverment study as to best size shot FOR THERE APPLICATION"Just my 02 cents Aldo

I have a winchester defender which will hold 8 rounds of ammo. I put a Advanced Technology top folding stock with the ammo holder on the folding arm to hold an extra 5 rounds. It also carries their heat shield. I use it as my primary grouse gun because I needed a gun with a short barrel because my land is heavily wooded with cedars and other trees. It also is fun to shoot with buckshot even though the 3inchers can start to really pound ya.